A 1500-year-old bible has been discovered in Turkey. The holy book claims Jesus Christ was not crucified,the work is allegedly the Gospel of Barnabas. Shutterstock

A 1500-year-old bible has been discovered in Turkey. Discovered in 2000, the book that contains purportedly the Gospel of Barnabas has been transferred by the Turkish government to the Ethnography Museum of Ankara with a police escort. Barnabas was a disciple of Christ, and in the work, claims that Jesus was not crucified, instead it says he ascended to heaven alive and Judas Iscariot was crucified in his place. Furthermore, the 1500-year-old bible states that Jesus Christ was not the son of God, but simply a prophet who passed on the word of God.

According to a report for The National Turk, the bible and alleged Gospel of Barnabas was seized from smugglers in the Mediterranean area in 2000 and held in a Turkish courthouse until safe transfer to the museum could be arranged. Authorities charged the thieves with “smuggling antiquities, illegal excavations and the possession of explosives,” they since been sent to trial, Turkish police testified in regards to the incredible age of the bible, claiming it could be as old as "2000 years."

The Vatican has made an official request to be granted access to the 1500-year-old bible, however the bible that is said to be worth $28 million is currently held by the Turkish government securely. The holy words are hand written in Syriac in luminous gold lettering on loosely bound together animal hides. Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic – the reported native language of Jesus Christ. Aramaic itself is a nearly dead language, rarely present in today's modern society. Aramaic is only spoken in a small village near Damascus.

According to the Christian Post, merely photocopies of the holy book’s pages are being sold for a staggering $1.7 million. In addition to the age and impeccable construction of the bible, the contents of the holy book is what makes it so valuable. The Gospel of Barnabas is not included in the New Testament alongside Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

This work opposes the ideas proposed in the widely spread New Testament, and instead has noticeable similarities to the Muslim interpretation of Jesus. The Gospel of Barnabas even contains a story in which Jesus predicts the coming of Prophet Muhammad. Due to this fact, many followers of Islam believe the original gospel work was repressed by the Vatican Library.

Donovan Longo, staff reporter, joined the Latin Times team in February 2013 and has quickly become our resident pop culture expert. As a native New Yorker and Fordham University alumni, Donovan has always had her finger on the cultural pulse and is here to get you in the know. As a follower of Donovan’s writing you will undoubtedly win a game of thrones, survive a zombie apocalypse, fall in love with a vampire and outsmart the CIA.